Los Angeles-based recording artist JIMMY is working on a streaming & social media platform. This comes after the release of his previous series of singles dubbed the GENERATIONAL TALENT Era that came out over the summer.
In a rapidly monopolized entertainment economy, one thing that has ringed consistent is that the creators of that entertainment are paid disproportionately less than the executives behind the operation. Between the writers & actors in Hollywood, the artists & producers in the music business and the influencers on social media, the money is slow and it's not enough to pay the bills every month. With Spotify's revenue split model mainly benefitting the celebrities on the platform, it's no surprise that an artist like JIMMY who is building up a reputation for his DIY approach has come to the conclusion of creating his own subscription-based platform.
JIMMY's upcoming platform will gives users access to his own original films, TV shows, livestream concerts, music & more with plans to acquire short-term licenses to content from other creators & studios in the future. Aside from this streaming function, the platform will also include a "social" component where users can share posts of text, images & videos as well as comment and direct message each other. This platform will allow Poindexter to go over-the-top of Spotify, Apple, Netflix, Disney+, Meta and X (formerly Twitter) while also allowing him to have direct-to-consumer access to his growing fanbase— all while keeping 100% of the profit. The artist is also taking a page from the film studios' book as he will also continue to distribute to traditional platforms like YouTube & Spotify only after subscribers are given early access to content for anywhere between a week to months prior to their digital store release. This will allow him to provide exclusive access to his core fanbase and still acquire streaming royalties and exposure worldwide.
"Artists get paid crumbs & we don't own shit. That's the problem. The tech nerds in Silicon Valley & the record label execs created the blueprint for how to make the liveable money, it's been in our face the whole time. They've monopolized every facet of the entertainment & tech industry," JIMMY says. "It's time to reclaim control over our payment, distribution & reach. This platform is a huge step in that process."
We've seen platforms like this come and go. Artists like Tyler, The Creator bolstered the Golf Media app which had a similar concept: exclusive access to "cool stuff" with a subscription model. This specific instance came to an end in 2018 after a 3 year run with fans on Reddit voicing that there wasn't enough Tyler-related content on the platform that was compelling enough to justify a $5/month price tag. Will JIMMY be able to perfect what couldn't be continued by his predecessor? Is the current market more aligned with it's intentions? We'll just have to see how this plays out for the artist.
JIMMY's ambitious follow-up album DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY was released on April 14th following the release of the trailer on his Instagram and the announcement of the release date and cover art. He also shared a new website bearing the same name. Coming off the successful self-release of his previous album *GHETTOLAND back in December, JIMMY hopes to complete the mission he started and establish himself as a notable artist. JIMMY teased the name of DWMYH in the fourth episode of his docuseries TV show "*GHETTOLAND". Read the latest review of DWMYH here. Check out his latest music below.